Link and the White Wolf
by Akartra
Summary: Link is on his way to the Kokiri Forest where he meets a wolf who saves his life...this wolf turns out to be a werewolf, that's when things start to get interesting...I'm really, REALLY sorry I didn't update sooner! Please don't hurt me!
1. Heroine in White

Hey, I'm starting on a new Fan Fic (first one I've put on tis site ;) I hope you like it, I don't own the charaters from the Zelda games, but Nintendo does, please don't sure me! All of the other characters (wolves and such) ARE mine :P Please don't use them or I shall poke you with a carrot!

It was a dark night, a cold night…the storm clouds overhead murmured ominously as the adolescent Link plodded forward along the Hyrulian field. His hair the usual shade of dirty blonde, a little longer then usual and perhaps a tad scruffier as well, some of his hair was concealed under a lopsided bush-green cap that hung slightly past his shoulders. His cerulean eyes looked from side to side as if searching for somewhere to collapse - to rest. He sighed deeply, rather exhausted and overcome by Ganondorf's forces…there were still some of his supporters lurking around these day, long after his supposed 'defeat', it was things like these that made him suspect that the so-called 'Desert Man' was still alive…in hiding, waiting for the perfect time to attack.

Red, sticky blood – that's what covered his clothing, wounds that would have to be healed, that's why he was heading home, to the Kokiri Forest where hopefully there would be healers awaiting his return. It seemed like months since he had last visited…

Link kept on travelling…walking in an endless line. He soon came to a large clearing, "Good enough" he thought, there was no chance of reaching the forest tonight, it was well after midnight and it would still be an hour by foot for him to travel, he knew he couldn't make it.

A rustle in the bushes…Link turned around, pivoting on the balls of his feet, sensing danger in its approach, more silent then the wind a blur of black fur raced forward, tackling Link from behind, the Kokiri Warrior let out a yell and reached down to his sides for his shield and sword, but the creature – a wolf, had pinned down his limbs, claws digging into him as if attempting to cut his circulation, it's teeth went for his throat…

Oh woe…if only he hadn't been so exhausted, perhaps he could've avoided the clutch of the canine…but his weariness had overcome him, he was beginning to loose concentration. He could feel the teeth brushing up against his skin, trying to puncture. Was this really going to be the way it all ended? The destruction of the Hero of Time?

As suddenly as the wolf had tackled him it had been thrown off, what or why it happened Link did not know, his vision was distorted from his fatigue, he stood and unsheathed his sword, rubbing his head in dizziness as another blur of fur whizzed past him – this time he took no chances, he struck the wolf in the side…hard, the master sword passed straight though it's body, it gave a yelp and fell to the ground.

The wolf looked up at him, its russet eyes growing hazy, it just sat there…strange…it did not fight back. Link pulled his sword out and noticed that this wolf was in fact white…not black like the vague impression he had recognised from earlier, he stood, cleaning the blood off of his blade with his Kokiri tunic and looked around for any sign of the other wolf.

Link found it, a pathetic shadowy lump dead beside a tree, shredded by bite marks, he then glanced back to the other wolf who whimpered slightly in pain…this wolf had saved his life…why?


	2. The beautiful maiden

Argh! I'm such an idiot! I rewrote this chapter WITHOUT Navi. It was a character I really didn't want to have to include but I thought it was rather necessary...now I know it's the opposite way around! So here's the chaper redone, hope you like it more! I shall be updating this frequently before the weekend because I'll be gone for a week T.T. But don't worry I shall have about 7 chapters up after I come back to make up for lost time...and remember :P more reveiws make me write faster :D (and if I'm not mistaken - better too ;))

Cursing at his stupidity, Link approached the wolf and inspected it's wound…small bits of once white fur were stained in blood, his sword had made it's way through the wolf's muscles, on further scrutiny he could see that this wolf was a female. Tearing off some fabric from his outfit he tied it around the wolf's waist to stop the flow of blood – perhaps that would be enough to keep the wolf alive until morning, then Link could bring her to the forest and they both would be healed.

The wolf stared up at Link sadly, not really an accusing glance but nevertheless disappointed, it seemed to Link as if this wolf understood everything – if it had just been any average creature from the woods perhaps it would've scampered away by now, whatever the case he carefully picked up the wolf, clutching it close to his chest as he gathered his gear and set up camp for the night nearby a river.

Setting the wolf back on soft grass, Link gathered some firewood to start a fire, hoping it would be enough to keep both of them warm for the night.Link took numerous things from a bag that had been strapped to his waist including a thick Hyrulian blanket, hewrapped it around the wolf who smiled slightly, seemingly grateful for the help. Link stroked its soft white fur before getting out some sheets for himself and using the remainder of the bag as a pillow and shortly after thatdropped off to sleep…or did he just faint? It was rather hard to tell – perhaps a mixture of both.

Link thought he was dreaming...or was it a dream? It didn't seem very dream-like to him...everything was black...he could hear a distant song...it seemed to come closer, he then decided to open his eyes.The first thing Link noticed is that someone was singing nearby. Yawning he stood up, looking hazily at the remaining embers at his feet. He shook his head lazily, properly awake this time he looked towards the river where a young woman was standing, facing the river, she was singing a beautiful melody…

Somewhat entranced by the singing, he watched and listened for a long while then suddenly rummaged though his pack and grabbed his fairy orcarina, smiling slightly as he played along with her tune, when she stopped Link looked up as she turned around. She wondered who had been playing along with her song, she smiled slightly when she saw that Link was awake, she was covered in nothing but the Hyrulian blanket that Link had wrapped the wolf in last night, from shoulders to the top of her knees.

This maiden was truly beautiful – or so Link thought, beautiful enough to be a princess, an be assured Link was a good judge of beauty when it came to princesses since he had seen many during his time. Her eyes the very familiar puppy-brown, her hair similar in colour was a chocolate brown, wavy and incredibly long, nearly touching the ground, it curved and weaved it's way around her eyes. Link blushed and stuttered slightly as if overwhelmed by good-looks, at first he thought of asking 'Who are you?' but he already knew that – the wolf from last night, so he rethought his question and it came out like this: "What is you name?"

Ok! Now that's better, although I had to cut out a bit of this chapter and tehre is hardly any speech in it hopefully you'll like it alot more then how it was before! REVEIW REVEIW REVEIW :D -pokes you with carrot-


	3. Tala the wolf

**Sorry this took so long to do... (I'm now using bold writing as you can see ;) I was away for a week at the snow...it was okay I guess, meh, I'm blabbering...ON WITH THE SHOW!  
**

"Tala" the young woman replied, "My name is Tala,"

Link hadn't really expected a _werewolf_ to look quite like this, he – like most other people, thought that they were evil, brutal creatures of the night, hideous to look upon, now he realised exactly how wrong he was…

Link bit his lip slightly as if unsure of what to ask, "Why did you save me last night?"

There was another pause as Tala then made her reply, "Well…I had been following you for a few days," Link blushed a little as she continued, "I wanted to make sure you were safe from my family, our pack met Ganondorf only a few days ago, he wanted us to join his side, help him destroy you so that he could regain his power." She told him, her voice smooth like velvet, "Well obviously I didn't join him, but I did eavesdrop enough to know that they were going to try to kill you…so…naturally… I set off to prevent that from happening,"

"Well, err…thanks," said Link as he watched Tala shiver slightly from the near-winter chill, "I think you would be better off with some clothes on," Link then went through his bag again and found a spare set of Kokiri clothing, he brought the garments over to the wolf-girl, "These are mine, they probably won't fit very well, but they ought to keep you warm till we visit a town and get more appropriate clothing"

Tala smiled, obviously liking the clothing quite a lot. There was nowhere to get changed…it was the middle of the woods of course so Tala simply gestured for Link to turn around.

"And no peeking," she said giggling slightly as Link's cheeks went red, obediently he turned around, facing away from her. He heard the small rustle of fabric against skin as the blanket dropped to her ankles. Link closed his eyes and swallowed, trying to drive all thoughts and emotions out of his mind. Finding it nearly impossible he opened his eyes and saw something that caught his attention.

A crystal-clear puddle…with a bare figure moving about in its reflection. Link's eyes widened as he watched, he told himself to look away – it was the 'right' thing to do, but his eyes didn't seem to want to budge. Should he say something? Close his eyes? No…he couldn't really do either, he just watched the smooth curves of Tala's body which were coated in a thin layer of muscle, almost like his own. With a small swish of green fabric it was all over.

Finally able to close his eyes he wiped the small amount of sweat that had formed on his forehead away, he felt rather guilty…since when had he thought like this anyway? He had always thought he was different, unable to have strong emotions like this. It had never happened before…why start now? He bit his lip slightly, clearly waiting for a verbal confirmation that Tala was finished, it would be rather evident that he had been watching if he had miraculously turned around just as she had finished.

"I'm done, you can turn around now," Tala told him seconds later, Link smiled nervously as he obeyed her, his smile widening as he saw her in the green tunic, the colour suited her so well.

"Well, would you like to follow me to my home town?" he questioned, his voice a little stiff.

"Sure, why not?" she grinned as she helped Link gather up his gear and folded up her blanket.

Soon the duo were heading out towards the Kokiri Village.

**Naughty, naughty Link..., his voice wasn't the only thing that was stiff ; (nothing suss) I shall continue writing, if I get enough reviews I may have a few more Chapters by the end of the day...KEEP ME MOTIVATED ; please review...  
**


	4. Bow and Arrow

**YAY! Finally a decent sized chapter, sorry for the wait but this site had been VERY annoying lately and it's been down a bit, please read, review and enjoy!**

There was much chatter as the two travelled, both of them being a little observant of their surroundings, if Ganondorf was back then they would have to be wary at all times – consistently cautious of every step they made, put simply, they couldn't put their guard down.

Sometime around noon they sat down for a rest on a hollow tree that had fallen over years ago, it was now covered in a thick layer of bushy green moss. Tala subconsciously scratched at her side as she watched Link once again rummage though his bag to pull out what appeared to be food, this food was nothing like Tala was used to, she usually lived on a diet of meat and breads and the occasional veggie when she could get her paws on it.

The food that Link had passed to her was like some absurd variety of fruit, soft skin and sweet taste, the outside shell of the provisions seemed to have a coconut flavour. Tala ate hungrily, although perhaps desiring something with a little more iron she made no complaints as she finished.

Link too was eating the Hyrulian delicacy, this food was a delightful snack – perhaps the equivalent to a healthy, rich mud cake in modern times. Link looked over to Tala, seeing her face close-up this time. A few small freckles on her nose…a small scar above her left eyebrow – perhaps from battle against other wolves and what amazed Link most were her ears…so different, very much unlike the elfish way. They weren't long, almost flat and instead of a point the ear curved over slightly. He had never seen ears like this in Hyrule before.

"Strange ears for an elf," he brought up, he was rather curious – he wanted to know more about them.

"I'm not an elf," she told him, "I am human," she looked at his puzzled expression, telling her he had never heard of the term 'human' before, "A human is very similar to an elf I suppose, except we aren't very familiar with magic, making it very hard for us to learn," she explained in the simplest terms possible, "I'm guessing not many of us exist in Hyrule"

Tala subconsciously scratched at her side and looked at Link, their eyes met for a moment until Tala looked away.

"Don't do that," Link said, obviously talking about her constant scratching, "You'll only make it worse," Tala stopped and lifted up her tunic a tad exposing the wound from last night on her waist, it had been itchy…irritating, but this was a good sign – it meant it was healing.

"I'm sorry about that," said Link awkwardly, "I really never meant to-" but he was cut off.

"It's ok, I know you didn't do it deliberately," Tala smiled and then something on Link's back grabbed her attention, "Are you an archer?" she asked, gazing at the fairy bow and the set of bows in the sack strapped to his back. Link nodded and Tala grinned as she leapt over to his back and grabbed the bow and a few arrows, she set them up and pointed the loaded bow towards a tree, "Watch this!" she called over her shoulder.

Link blinked and watched as the young woman rummaged through his sack, grabbing necessary items, he observed uneasily knowing that this wasn't really going to be 'suave'.

The arrow was released, but it did not hit it's chosen target, actually it went straight for a pile of rocks, skimming against one, rebounding against another and was soon heading in the opposite direction, Tala jumped out of the way as the arrow hurled towards Link, narrowly missing his head, pinning his green hat to the tree behind him instead.

Tala's hands shot for her mouth as she gasped, "Holy fu-…cow!" she cried, refraining herself from swearing, Link stared back at her, wide eyed and obviously in a bit of shock, he let out a sigh of relief as he slipped from his seat on the rotten tree and slowly let himself fall to the ground, "I'm so, so sorry," Tala whimpered

"It's ok," Link told her, "I should've known that was going to happen…you were aiming the arrow in the wrong direction"

Tala snorted and looked at him stubbornly, "No I wasn't!" she contradicted.

"Yes," he said firmly, "you were, secondly, you were holding the bow in the wrong way, not to mention that you didn't even set it up right…"

Tala opened her mouth to argue, but it seemed as if she was unable to speak, so she promptly closed it, allowing Link to speak instead.

"Look, let me show you," he said standing up, he grabbed the arrow from it's place – implanted deep into the tree and strode over to Tala and took the bow from her hands, setting the bow and arrow up properly, Tala watched intently as Link handed them to her, "Hold these for a sec," he said as he went over to the tree and unsheathed his sword. He carved a small cross into the tree, causing sap to leak from it – obviously the 'target' was the middle of the cross in the tree.

Link came back and stood behind Tala, he held her hands gently and rested his head on her shoulder as he showed her the correct form, "You're too tense, let your arms relax…archery has nothing to do with force, it's all to do with you and the target," he continued, guiding her hands so that the arrow was ready to be released. Tala blushed lightly as his body drew closer to hers.

"Now release," Link whispered in her ear as he let go of her hands and moved away from her.

The arrow went flying – straight and true, it landed itself in the centre of the 'X'. Tala smiled slightly with accomplishment, "You're very good," she admitted.

"I've had lots of practise and experience – even I was bad when I first started," he said smirking.

Tala snorted.

"Ok, ok…perhaps not as bad as you," he confessed, "You just need to learn and you'll be fine,"

"Can you teach me?" she questioned

"Yes, but not now, we've wasted a lot of time, I was meant to be home early this morning, now its mid afternoon – we should get a move on"

Tala nodded in agreement as they packed up their gear, took the arrow from it's roost and continued on their journey.

**Soooo...like? Not like? Unsure? SEND ME A REVIEW! -grins-**


	5. Runaway Link

**Sorry for the wait (I was kinda waiting for my fav reviewer to review...but they never came...) - big chapter ya know - bigger the the last one, over 1400 words without me adding the subnotes eheheh...aaaaaaaaanyways, being a big chapter it's got alot in it, I really hope you like it -grins- it took me hours to do...**

Soon it was sunset, the bridge leading into the Kokiri forest was on the horizon, Tala, who was busy gazing at the sky randomly winced, Link noticed this and stopped to watch, "Are you ok?" he asked.

Tala let out a sigh of relief, "Sorry, I was just worried that it was a full moon tonight – rather hard to tell the day after the full moon," how could she forget yesterday? She had other things on her mind, things that had nothing to do with the past, just the present and the future…

Link raised an eyebrow, obviously noticing that the werewolf was in deep thought over something…ignoring the matter, they continued forth, over the bridge and into the Village that Link called home.

The Kokiri folk were busy dancing in front of a large bonfire, telling stories whilst listening to Link's old friend, Saria, as she played her joyous tune on her own orcarina. There was a bit of a party that evening – there always was when the town was happy…and the town had been happy since the day Link had saved it from its terrible fate.

Tala looked around, she had never seen a town like this before…it was the pure essence of happiness, all of the townspeople seemed delighted and everyone wore the same clothing, she smiled slightly when she noticed that she herself was dressed in the same robes – green tainted tunics.

As soon as Link approached the campfire everyone turned around, cheering at Link's safe return, even the usually-grumpy Mido somehow managed to bear a smile, everyone was so absorbed in Link hat it was a while before someone even noticed that Link had brought a friend with him…

"Oooh! Look over here! She came with Link!"

"What's your name?"  
"I'm…err…-" Tala tried to answer, but numerous voices butted in.

"Is she a Kokiri?"

"Nah, we would've known"

"She has funny ears"

"Tala…" she managed to answer as the crowd stopped bickering and continued with questions, as if she was some kind of famous movie star and the Kokiri were the paparazzi …

"Nice nam-"

"Are you Link's friend?" Tala simply nodded in reply, not even attempting to speak.

"You're really pretty" another commented as she blushed, Link then came over to tug her away from the crowd, giving her a seat by the fire, the Kokiri, appeared to be 'questioned out' so to speak. They too, took seats around the campfire.

A couple of healing fairies came, probably notified by someone that Link had arrived, they checked him over – twice and removed any wounds he had gotten from last night – he was so lucky he hadn't been bitten. Link then told the fairies to heal Tala as well. She felt a small tingling sensation on her side as the wound Link had given her evaporated from her skin.

Tala smiled and looked up to the stars, watching them as their silvery light twinkled brilliantly – covering the sky in a glowing carpet known as the Milky Way, Link noticed this and joined her in her stargazing, "It's a beautiful night," he admitted, as he grinned at the clear, deep blue.

"Yeah…" said Tala, her mind beginning to wander, she then saw a shooting star fly across the sky, billions of miles away…

"Make a wish," Link told her, still smiling from ear to ear.

"I would," she started, "but I have no idea what to wish for," she didn't seem nearly as happy as he was.

Link looked at her, sensing something was wrong…but what? He had a bit of an idea, "How about that Ganon was gone and could never come back," he suggested, his smile slowly fading from his face.

"Yeah," she sighed, "that'd be nice…" she felt Link's arm wrap around her shoulder, she bit her lip, wanting to lean into him, snuggle closer…anything, but…

"Don't worry about him," Link said firmly, "I promise I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe,"

That's what she was afraid of…

She disdainfully shrugged his arm off and stood, looking out into the blank darkness. Link looked at her quizzically, he didn't understand…whatever – it's probably just a 'girl' thing.

"Let's get you out of these clothes," he said, guiding her to his tree house, "I have something I want to give you,"

They climbed up the ladder and soon they found themselves in a rather cramped little house, nothing more then a tiny bed, a few shelves and some boxes, "Sorry about the state of this place," he apologised and soon began to go through a few drawers until he pulled out a fantastic dress that could've only been worn by royalty.

Tala gasped in amazement at the dress, it had only been worn a few times – as she could see, "Princess Zelda came here…almost a year ago, to visit my village for a few days, she accidentally left this here, next time I saw her I forgot to give it back and she told me not to worry because she didn't want it back," he explained, "so I want you to have it," he said smiling weakly as he went outside, shutting the door as he waited for her to get changed on the balcony. 'No peeking this time' he told himself, despite how much he wanted to gaze at her through his old timber-framed window.

A few soft tumbles of fabric and the rustle of silk against skin meant that it was over soon enough. Tala opened the door, causing Link to almost jump, when he saw her he beamed and came inside again, with a simple gesture he asked her in too, his mind was racing – full of emotion…should he tell her how he felt? He had never really had this strange sense before, it was unusual, strange. Half of him was confident, the other half was not, he was torn.

"You look stunning," he told her as he sat down on his small bed, there was just enough room for her to sit beside him, so she did.

Tala blushed lightly, "Thanks," she said shyly, "this dress is truly amazing…and to think it once belonged to a Princess…"

Link found himself moving closer to her, should he tell her now? Or not? How would she react? Did she feel the same way? Was he good enough for her? Wait. What if she though he was weird…she was a werewolf after all, she was different…or was it he who was different from her? He was so confused…

Link kept on coming closer until his face was almost inches from hers, "Tala…I really want to let you know how much I care about you…" he whispered in her ear, finding it very hard to group his words together, he was so nervous…

Meanwhile, Tala's mind was racing…

"Should I go for it?"

"No! You can't! You've got other priorities…"

"But he's…"

"He's probably gonna die if you try…"

"He means so much to me…"

"That's why you have to keep him safe…you _know_ what's going to happen if you take risks like this"

"But I'll hurt him!"

"Not nearly as much as you will if you keep on going like this…"

"I can't…"

"You WILL!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"Love him…kiss him, lean into his chest – pray for survival"

"Push him away! Throw him to the ground! Keep him safe!"

…

The battle for Tala's will between her consciences finally ended, resulting in Tala choosing the 'right' thing to do.

Tala pulled back, "Sorry Link, I can't…" she began, finding her eyes beginning to water as she stood up, her back turned to him.

Link couldn't understand…did she hate him? Why? Did he just imagine this? Was it all just some horrible nightmare?

The werewolf turned around to face him, "I'm sorry, sorry, sorry! But I can't…we can't…"

Link hung his head in sorrow, facing his greatest fear – rejection…

"You mean a lot to me too but…if Ganon's still around then…"

"Fine," Link spat – his hurt now turning to anger, "I'm leaving," he said simply as he got up and raced out the door, jumping clear off of the balcony, barely even bracing himself as he landed, Tala sped out the door after him.

"You don't understand! Ganon would use me to get to you…" she called out after him, standing on the balcony as she watched him leave, "Goodbye…" she muttered miserably to herself.

Link kept on running, he sprinted across the bridge out onto the Hyrulian Field, not really caring where he ran – he just wanted to get away from the pain, the hurt...he was more or less thinking on his feet at the moment.

Tala sighed… "Better go after him," she told herself, she had no idea how long he'd last out there with Ganon about…

**Ooooh...interesting eh? Do I sense a plot coming? Or did I just stuff it up? Good? Bad? REVIEW! -pokes you with carrot-**


	6. Climbing the Castle Walls

**Ok, so it's slightly shorter then the last one - at least I try, I'm glad to be able to update so soonish :D Hopefully I shall have the next chapter done before then end of the day (Australian time, meaning in less then 10 hours ;)) Hope you like it!**

Tala ran forth…fast…hard…

She felt her Kokiri boots…or rather Link's Kokiri boots hit hard against the new winter grass that had sprouted on the Hyrulian Field. Drumming, panting…such rhythm drew out the wolf powers in herself, it gave her more energy, she could run faster, longer, further. She would have to be quick to catch the Hero of Time before it was too late.

Tala came to a halt… "What on earth am I doing?" she asked herself…she had left her safety barrier – the Kokiri Forest, just to be in the middle of nowhere, a barren wasteland, all alone, deprived of direction. If anything happened to her then – god forbid – Link would do something stupid about it, then they would all be doomed.

She turned around, the bridge wasn't within sight…perhaps she should just walk in a straight line…? What if that didn't work…what if she ended up somewhere else? Hylia Lake for instance…she had never been out like this alone…but then again, she had never spent such a long time away from the pack either. They were a group, a community, they usually stuck together through the toughest of times, it's only when they went to the dark side that she had no choice but to either leave them of become one of them.

But wait…she couldn't leave! No! She couldn't leave Link all alone like that – what if something happened? She wouldn't know about it, they have to stick together otherwise something bad would happen to one of them…or perhaps both – whatever the case, she just didn't feel safe without someone - preferably Link – by her side…

She shouldn't be thinking like this, it was stupid – "Just act like you don't give a damn and everything with be _fine!" _she told herself. She stood out in the open, still pondering, "What are your priorities?" she asked herself, "Save Link or save Hyrule?"

"Think, think, think!" she continued to encourage her mind…to go out with the main objective to save Link alone would be selfish, only fulfilling her wants, or needs. But then again, in saving Link wouldn't she be giving Hyrule another chance? Link was the one who had to save Hyrule – not her…anyway, what could a stupid werewolf do about an Evil un-dead King such as Ganondorf? Not much, obviously.

Then again, where was he? Ganon could be almost anywhere right now, here in Hyrule, 10 feet away from her…perhaps giving troops instructions…

What to do…she looked back up, where the little bridge should be. "Save myself," she said, finally coming to a conclusion, "In saving myself I shall hopefully prevent Link from doing anything stupid to save me," she kept sweet-talking herself, "Once Link is gone, Ganon will automatically take over, so this way I'm saving everyone," 'I do to much talking to myself…' she thought as she made her way back to the Kokiri Forest, hoping that it wasn't too far away, and that she wouldn't get lost.

'Stupid bitch,' Link thought angrily meaning it in both ways, he had now decided where he was heading – Hyrule castle, he wanted to visit Zelda, he had so many emotions bottled up inside him, he just needed to release them on someone. If Tala wouldn't then maybe Zelda would. Besides, he needed to tell her of Ganondorf's return.

He wished he could use Epona, but she was a little too old for his liking – besides, she was nursing a filly, and the young foal couldn't canter alongside its parent yet. Although Epona did have a two year old colt called Tomus, he was a wild, mischievous young stallion who could run like the wind, but was far from tame. But Epona had been somewhat wild when he had tamed her, so why not try her progeny? Tomus did seem to take a liking to Epona's Song. Link decided he would try it sometime soon. He was so close to the castle now that it would be pointless.

Link came to the castle, only to find the drawbridge closed – as it usually was at this time of night, "Drat" he cursed under his breath as he leapt into the moat and swam towards the castle walls, he'd have to climb over, wasn't too hard really, the gaps between the blocks of concrete made it quite easy to get a grip and climb up. Link pressed his fingers hard into the crevasse, holding onto the slab with strong hands as he wedged the tips of his Kokiri boots into the walls and began to climb, slowly but surely.

About half way up the fingers on his right hand slipped, he clutched on tight, not wanting to let go, yet bracing himself for the impact. It had been a simple rock that had separated itself from the rest of the wall, he had held it instead of the wall and he had almost fallen. There was a soft 'plop' sound as the rock hit the water below. Link ignored it and continued his climb, further, further…until he reached the top.

'Now what?' he asked himself, looking at the great high he was at. He couldn't jump, that was certain, climb down? No that would take too long. He grabbed his hookshot from out of his bag, praying that this would work. He hit it, hard against the top layer of concrete causing a small indent, continuing until he had formed a crack, he then stepped on the hook to try and push it in further. He jumped on top of it – finding it very hard not to loose his balance at such a great height, he had to keep this factor in mind.

It took a lot of effort, but eventually the hookshot was embedded in the castle walls, allowing Link to abseil his way down. When he landed he tugged, hard, on his hookshot, and with a series of sharp pulls it dislodged itself, allowing for him to put it back in his sack again.

Tala continued walking, she was on top of a hill, she would see the tiny bridge hidden behind trees tat lead to her destination on the horizon, surely it would only take a few more minutes to get there.

**Am I going somewhere with this? You bet I am :D stay tuned for more action soon...**

**Oh yes! REVIEW! -pokes you with a carrot- **


	7. Ganon Returns

**Ok...so it took 10 hours, that's still ok, right? I have to admit, these chapters are getting harder and harder to write...taking an ENTIRE day to think up something to fill in the gaps of the plot...please like it!**

Link scrambled through the market, knowing that the guards would let him past this time – everyone inside the castle walls knew who he was, tis should be a lot easier for him now then it was the first time he had to find Zelda.

Many guards noticed him running past, they simply watched him, once they recognised him they either sighed or smiled and continued on with their long, tiring business.

"Good evening Link," greeted one of the guards, one of the two that were guarding the castle doors.

"I need to see the Princess, it's urgent," Link said hastily.

The guards looked at him for a moment before allowing him to enter, "Very well" they said together as they both stepped back, Link swung on of the huge timber doors open and proceeded, following the red carpet. He climbed numerous staircases until he came to the spot outside Zelda's bedroom door, where he could hear constant annoying crying…'That's right' he remembered, 'she has a kid now' Zelda had been married to a Prince from far away, as far as he could recall they were both infinitely happy together…so now he would face rejection again…no, this was pointless, but for some reason he felt as if he had to tell someone his emotions…

He knocked on her door once…twice…three times and waited for a reply.

"Who is it?" a gentle voice came from the other side of the door.

"It is I, Link," he said as Zelda promptly opened the door.

"Greetings," she said, "why have you come to see me?" she asked, the beautiful princess was cradling her baby son in her arms, she paced across the room and placed him in a cradle before turning back to Link.

"I think Ganon is back, I've heard it from a friend," he said, wanting to get to the point.

"I see…" she said, it seemed as if this information was new to her, and yet she didn't really seem surprised.

"Do you know how?...Or why?" Link questioned, sensing that perhaps she'd know more then he did.

"Well, at a guess I would say that he absorbed the evil within the realm in which he was sealed, so the realm collapsed allowing him to get out freely," she looked worried, "I honestly can't see how this is possible…not even the darkest of hearts have been able to break out of a realm before," she bit her lip and then continued to speak, "As for why…I think I have a better idea…remember how before we trapped him he shouted out cursed words? He said that he would return one day to wreak havoc among our descendants – our children…" she looked to her baby who was sleeping quietly in his bed.

"So you're saying," Link began, adding one and one together, "That because of your son Ganon has planned his attack,"

Zelda nodded, "I think he saw the future in this young one, he feared that our children may in fact be stronger then us, so he's plotting to destroy us while we are 'off guard' and our future before it becomes any stronger…"

Link had to say this now… "Zelda, I -" But she stopped him, as if she knew what he was going to say – he was being far too rash.

"No…you don't, I can sense your emotions Link – there's someone out there who you care about more then me – that's who Ganon is going to be after, he's been watching you, I'm sure," she told him, that's when Link really started to worry.

"What? Why? What would she have anything to do with…? -"…he was cut out again.

"She's the key to your emotions, Link, emotions are very strong things, Ganon is manipulative, he knows this, he will use her to get to you," she said, not knowing who this woman was, but she did know Link had feelings for her, it was like a sixth sense.

"So I should…"

"Run, yes, go after her, if you are quick on your feet you might be able to reach her before Ganondorf does, hurry!" she exclaimed, making the tone of urgency in her voice clear.

Without another word Link raced down the dozens of staircases and sprinted to the drawbridge, on his way he asked a guard for it to be let down so he could get out, after much argument Link finally managed to convince the guard and the drawbridge fell onto it's usual place over the moat, probably saving himself a decent amount of time…and climbing.

As he reached the other side he grasped his orcarina from his pocket and played Epona's song, soon enough the stallion know as Tomus came galloping forth with Epona and her young filly bringing up the rear. He smiled slightly as he stroke the male's mane, he signalled to the other two that they could leave before he mounted the mighty horse, "Speed, don't fail he now," he cried, "HIYAH!" he jeered as his heels kicked lightly against the stallion's sides, the horse soon broke out in a furious yet smooth gallop that would hopefully lead them both across the Hyrulian field in no time at all!

A dark and sinister cloud rumbled ominously ahead, the darkness descended on Hyrule…

Ganondorf was waiting….watching from the other side of Hyrule, his werewolf messengers (obviously in human form) had told him of the whereabouts of his victims, his prey…now was the time to attack.

Tala took a single step on the wooden bridge and sighed, finally, she was safe. Then a faint rumbling came from behind…she heard thunderclouds…but the sky had been clear only a few minutes ago…that was so strange…

**Ooooh...this is the part where I let out a little spoiler, so don't read if you don't want to!**

**In the next chapter someone dies...:O who do ya think it'll be? If ya want you can tell me in your review...so REVIEW! Ehehe I shall have the next chapter up tomorrow, Australian time...(If I don't suffer from writers block like I have been all day today XD)**


	8. Gone but not Forgotten

**I sacrificed length for update speed with this chappie, hope you like it, I'm now separating notes with little dashes to make it a tad neater :D**

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An explosion erupted from somewhere behind…Link gasped and told his noble steed to stop, "Woo!" he hushed the horse and turned him around. A series of screams echoed into the night, Link urged the horse on, they galloped in the same direction in which they had came only to find that the castle had burst into flame, "Holy shit!" he swore aloud as they approached the half-closed drawbridge…it wasn't moving, he knew that the people who opened and closed the bridge had passed away.

Tomus ran quicker faster, sprinting at full gallop towards the drawbridge, pushing the horse further he managed to get the stallion to leap clear into the night sky, flying just over the half closed bridge, a small whinny could be heard as the hooves of the valiant steed brushed hard against the wood. The horse landed on the slope of the bridge with a small grind as the bridge came back down from their combined weight.

Once on safe ground he dismounted Tomus and told him to stay put, he knew he would need the stallion's speed soon.

Inside the market…dead bodies everywhere, the stalls were caught in a blazing inferno that stretched high into the air causing the smoke to mingle with the thunderclouds overhead. Link pressed on, being sure to check for survivors as he made his way past…none…

Blood trailed its way though the castle as Link made his way inside and up the stairs, the blood leaked from corpses that has been slashed to a point beyond recognition, they no longer seemed human…Link sneezed, starting to loose his nerve in the eerie environment.

All of the doors had been left open, it had been a quick ambush, Link had figured in that short time Ganon had already been and gone, but he had to check Zelda's room…just in case…

Obviously, the door had been left ajar, Zelda had been left on the carpet, dead. Her throat had been slashed apart, almost to the point that she was beheaded, her silk dress had been torn in several places, her body still warm but her skin as pale as ever, her eyes seemed now like bottomless pits instead of glowing amethysts.

Link whimpered as he witnessed the scene, there were marks burnt into the wall, an obvious sign of struggle from both sides, Ganon had not won easily – that was certain, there was even a hint of magic being pushed beyond it's limits…Zelda was probably trying too hard to fend off the demon, that may have been why she faltered. He looked to the Princess again as tears formed in his eyes, he wiped them off with his green clad tunic and sighed.

He was about to leave the room but he heard a murmur, a whimper, a cry that was muffled, it came from Zelda's marble drawers, which Link, being curious, of course opened. Inside was a mess of clothes huddled up around something, he pulled it all out and amount the cloth he found Zelda's baby.

Zelda must've hid him before Ganon came…who wouldn't?

Link had no idea what to do with the infant…take him to the Kokiri village? Roam around the castle and give him to one of the survivors? He wanted to keep the child safe, away from harm, his eyes, ears and the tiny amount of white-blonde hair he had that was growing was purely the spitting image of his mother, this baby had to live. It was the last favour he could do for Zelda.

Link searched the many rooms of the castle, looking for survivors until he found Zelda's husband, completely still on the floor but still breathing. Link moved up to the future king and nudged him into consciousness, he grunted and looked around the nearly destroyed room, mouth wide open, he then looked to the warrior in green before him who was holding his child, the man whimpered as he took his baby in arms, "What happened? Where are my guards? Where's Zelda?" he asked in a pain filled voice.

"They're gone…Ganondorf killed them…I'm sorry," he said, knowing there wasn't much time for explanation, "I'll make sure he pays for what he had done," he promised as he got up and left without saying goodbye, he had to make sure Tala was safe too.

Tala got out of the way of the incoming rain, staying under shelter near the bridge, she waited for Link to return, she hoped he was ok…if Ganon got him she wouldn't know what to do…

Saria came over to the undercover area near the bridge to speak with Tala, "You should probably go to sleep, tonight festivities have ended, it's well past midnight," she told the werewolf.

"I know, but I have nowhere to sleep, I want to wait until Link comes back," she replied

"You could always use his old bed, I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Saria suggested, sensing Tala's fear, "He's coming back now, I can sense it,"

At this Tala raised an eyebrow, not really understanding how someone could 'sense' things like this, but trusting her all the same.

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**Oh no! -cough- poor Zelda**! **I swear you reviewers are psychic or something! There was not one reviewer (on this site, and outside) that guessed wrong...how freaky is that? Or did I make it too obvious...oh gosh I hope not XD Anyways, review goddamnit! For all those who want to know I shall be fixing up previous chapters after I've finished the entire fic, adding detail here and there and such.**


	9. Choices

**Ok, this is the part where I say "I'm sorry, sorry, sorry!" -stress- erm, I was meant to have this out BEFORE the start of the week (therefore, before I got back to school) but I couldn't manage an****d technically I'm not allowed on the computers after school, I was pushing it really hard last night when I stayed up until 11pm (2 hours past bed time) on the computer on which I am banned from (cause it's a school night) and I got caught by dad, (thankfully it wasn't mum or she would've ripped my head off. Aaaah...the stresses of life as a 14 year old.**

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Moments later Link had mounted Tomus and once again he set of on a seemingly never-ending gallop across the winter grass once more, with all due speed, so fast that eagles couldn't catch them.

The rain stopped, almost as if someone had turned off a tap – it just stopped. Tala came back onto the bridge to see a black figure on the horizon, coming this way.

"That must be Link returning," Saria said, "in that case, I'm off to bed, goodnight," the Kokiri yawned before walking off.

Tala squinted slightly at the figure, from what she could tell he was on a horse, she never knew Link had a horse, but he did seem to appreciate animals, so it didn't come as a great surprise to her.

As the figure came nearer Tala could see that it wasn't Link, by the time she realised it was Ganon it was too late, he was already there.

Tala span around, looking for somewhere to run instinctively, but it was hopeless, even her…as a werewolf who could naturally run a bit faster then ordinary humans….there was no way she'd be able to outrun a horse. If she raced over the bridge she'd only put innocent lives in danger – it just wasn't worth it.

Whatever Ganondorf wanted he was going to get, as simple as that, there was no avoiding it, it wasn't a full moon, Tala couldn't fight him. She peared into his dark red eyes with hatred, his flaming red hair stood on end, Ganon grinned menacingly as he dismounted his powerful black stallion – one of many that he kept in his hideout.

Tala snorted, "If tonight were a full moon I'd rip you to shreds," she hissed through gritted teeth, this made the olive-skinned man laugh.

"I'd like to see you try," he bellowed, 'you are just as much of a traitor as I am, you fought against your family – killed one of your own,"

Tala sighed, sure, she had killed her own uncle, so what? She was only protecting the "Hero of Time", 'Some hero…' she thought, 'hope he doesn't appear now and screw everything up'

"They betrayed me, by joining you," she told him firmly as she warily watched him draw closer to her, if he wanted to kill her there was nothing she could do, so she would do exactly that – actually, she'd rather die, get it over and done with before Link gets here…

"Stupid girl," he grinned as he grabbed her wrist, she winced, but she didn't try to pull back or run. Ganon unsheathed a pure silver sword, he fondled with the blade a little in his spare hand, showing it off no doubt, he then proceeded by forcing Tala to her knees by bending her wrist in the right direction causing her to whimper slightly "pity your friends told me your little secret…that the only way to kill a werewolf is to penetrate them with a silver blade…"

Tala's eyes grew wide as she watched the silver weapon in his hand with fear, "Hurry up and god damn kill me then," she growled, "I'd rather be dead then in the same dimension as you," she spat angrily.

"Touchy…" he grinned, liking her attitude, he drew the blade to her neck, Tala could feel the sharp edge rubbing against her skin, of course, she could've leant into the blade and killed herself, but she didn't, the will to live was still there, she didn't want to die, much less commit suicide. "Pity touchy doesn't get you that far, much less wisdom or courage for that matter, only power matters in this world,"

Tala closed her eyes and sighed, her head hung low in defeat, well at least she had tried her best and even though it was the end for her perhaps she had given Link…and therefore the entire world a second chance at this, hopefully the loss of herself would not go in vain.

A thunderclap…the appearance of a shadowy figured on horseback a few yards away, "Let her go," the man hollered atop his mighty stallion that was drenched in a thick layer of shiny sweat, the horse stamped and snorted, exhausted, yet it managed to trumpet out a triumphant whinny. Obviously…the man was Link.

'Take one step closer and she shall be beheaded," Ganon yelled at his nemesis, the usual evil glint was in his furious eyes.

"No! Don't!" Tala screeched, "Don't listen to him! Take him out! Don't worry about me -" but Ganon had cupped his hand that had been holding her wrist over her mouth to stop her for shouting anymore words of advice.

Link stopped, frozen as if unable to move, what could he do? Who should he listen to? Ganon obviously had plans, but the will to obey his orders was so strong, it was almost enough to make him run off, scared and confused. But obviously Tala was trying to tell him something…is this why she pulled away from him before? Decisions, decisions…

"What do you want?" Link asked the 'Desert Man'.

Ganondorf laughed manically, "Would be nice if Tala switched places with you…you know, an eye for an eye…? Or isn't she worth the life of the "hero"" he taunted. Tala glanced over to Link, her expression pleading for him to forget about her and to concentrate on Ganon.

"Of course," Link said mildly, trying to keep his cool. He was completely lost now, many misleading directions, only one which would be the right to choose…should he sacrifice Tala, his newly found friend, before he even got to truly confess that he cared about her as more then a friend – all, just for the safely of the rest of the Earth, a better future for all generations to come.

Or should he sacrifice himself instead? That way Tala would be spared, but for some reason Tala didn't want that...why? What 'courage' did he have if he was afraid to die to spare the life of an innocent soul?

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**Oooh! I found the line button XD -jumps- oh, sorry fo the cliffy, I'll try to update, but chances are it'll be on the weekend -stress stress- if I don't take a break soon I swear I'm going to breakdown ...**

**Anyways, review and you shall make my happy and comfort me during these 'difficult times' -grins- :D **


	10. Blood and Soul

**Heylo everyone, here's the weekend chapter as I promised (wow, 10 chapters already?) school is looming around the corner -hides- but I'll try to update ASAP thanks for being such a patient audience...and oh yes! Thanks for the mountains of reviews! I love you guys:3 -hands out Pringles and chocolate- hope you enjoy ;)**

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Ganon's hand that had cupped Tala's mouth began to glow with blue light, it seemed he had grown impatient, sick of waiting for Link's decision – he had begun to move onto the next phase of his plan…

Tala bit at Ganon's hand, she tried to puncture his material and get into his flesh, since a werewolf's bite affected people no matter what form they were in. Tala yelped and pulled back as she felt her gums burn, the blue light contained strange energy – it was like some kind of blue flame…but different…

"What are you doing?" Link asked with fear in his voice, he dismounted Tomus and unsheathed his sword, being careful not to make any sudden movements.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," he laughed as Tala was soon engulfed in the blue light, she squealed as the blue flame-like glow hit her body, the pain was unbearable…

The hurt seared inside her, causing her body to become still…her limbs to become numb…soon all she could see was the blinding colour of the light until it faded out and she could see nothing. Her body had lost all feeling, but she could sense something intruding inside her body, ripping it apart, bit by bit. Similar to having the 'butterflies in your stomach' feeling, but much, much worse, so uncomfortable that it seemed as if your very essence had been torn out of you…your body, squeezed and compressed into nothingness, it hurt so much that the pain couldn't be felt, just the continuous sinking feeling repeating itself over and over again.

Link let out a yell as he saw Tala's body crumble to the ground, the expressions of fear and pain has dispersed from her. He dropped his sword and raced over to her, he picked her up…her body was cold and pale, her brown eyes were blank…meaningless…what had happened to her?

Ganondorf chuckled as he watched Link whimper as he stared at the hopeless figure in his arms. It was just so funny for Ganon to see such a strong man emotionally overpowered…

This was just too much for Link, he wanted not just to kill Ganon, but annihilate him, rip him limb from limb, slash him to pieces until no more blood could drench the earth, actually, he would've done so if his sword hadn't have been left beside his horse…Link clenched his fist and gritted his teeth as he stared up at Ganondorf, tears forming in his eyes for the second time that night. "What have you done?" he whispered to his enemy as if so weak he couldn't speak any louder.

Ganon was clutching a strange blue remanent of the glow that had engulfed Tala, small wisps of misty smoke circled around it as it rested in Ganondorf's olive coloured palm. Oddly enough, the ball seemed to be singing, very, very distant singing. "I've taken her soul," Ganon told the Hylian as he raised his sword up high. A soulless body was as good as dead, the only way to restore Tala to her former self would be to let the soul and body reconnect, obviously, this was not what Ganon wanted. "You are pathetic, Link and tonight you must die," he hissed as he plunged the silver blade down.

Link winced as he felt the sword enter his shoulder with a burning sensation, the cold silver ripped harshly through both skin, muscle and fabric as it passed through his body, the tip was sticking out the other side. It was a deep, deep pain, although it didn't seem strong enough to have reached it's full potential yet. Link didn't dodge, Ganon was right…he was pathetic…the Desert Man raised his sword to throttle it into Link again. How did Link manage to sink so low? But he remembered how much he hated Ganon…he wasn't just going to sit and let this happen, hell no. He released Tala…

Quick and agile, Link used one of his outstretched legs to trip Ganon over before he could deliver the potentially fatal blow, as Ganon released his sword in shock Link made this chance to grab at it while it was in mid-air. Link stood and held the silver blade, pointing it at Ganon's chest.

Ganon's eyes widened in fear as he stood before his enemy, taking a few steps back he noticed that Link followed him, the sword coming closer to his body. Ganon was almost completely defenceless, save his magic. At such close range Link has an incredible upper hand since it took a while for Ganon to muster up enough power to cast a spell.

"Give me Tala's soul and I won't kill you…again" Link said threateningly knowing even the most despicable characters in life had to be given an option.

Not wishing to risk his life in another battle, Ganon ran for it, of course, Link would follow him, but with such a wound it would be nearly impossible for him to keep up. He leapt unsteadily onto his black horse who broke into an instant gallop away from the hero who was dangerously close – running as fast as his human legs could carry him. Link tried to slash at Ganon, but the man had evaded him yet again. Link kept on chasing his enemy, it was hopeless, he knew it, but seeing the soul clutched in Ganon's palm made him run hard…it was so close yet so far…

Soon Link found himself clutching the wound on his shoulder as the pain suddenly peak, it was enough to make his hairs stand on end, he collapsed on the winter grass of the Hyrule field, he looked upwards to see the shadowy figure he had been chasing racing off in the distance.

As the pinnacle of the pain subsided Link was able to stand again, he made his way over to Tala's lifeless form, he looked over his shoulder to notice that Tomus had left. Link put his sword back into it's carrier and then strode over to Tala and picked her up – there was no way he was leaving her out in the dark like this… 'Just pretend she's sleeping' he told himself as he carried her, stumbling over the bridge into the Kokiri village…

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**Welll...wasn't that exciting? XD Sorry, I'm really bad at writing action and I know it! Tried to use tonnes of description here, but probably failed hopelessly...don't miss Tala too much, okay?**

**But before I dismiss you, REVIEW! Or you shal not be getting ANY chocolate next time! (I may bring the Pringles anyways XD) **


	11. Respect

**Argh! No! A horrifically short chapter! T.T Please don't hurt me! I don't deserve to dieeeee:P Anywho, this chapter is lacking content because I just think the chapter ended at the right time (read it and you'll see) I'll get cracking on the next one right away and I HOPE to have it done before the weekend...enjoy -throws everyone chocolate, Pringles and small bottles of creaming soda- (as promised :P)  
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When Link came into the village Saria came out from her house, she seemed worried, "Is she ok?" the female Kokiri asked as she rushed over, "I heard noises after I went to bed, I came out to see what happened,"

Link hung his head low and sighed, "Ganon got her, stole her soul…I tried to stop him but I just…couldn't," Link whimpered a reply as he fell to his knees allowing Saria to hug him comfortingly, Link winced slightly as she tounched the gash on his shoulder.

"We're going to have to heal this up," she told him, "Don't worry, in the morning you can set out after Ganon – kill him again and everything will be fine,"

"No it won't…it's never fine, if I destroy Ganon he'll just come back again…"

Unable to find any way of denying it, Saria just sighed and got up to get healing fairies and a blanket from Link's tree house. After a few moments of silent pondering over recent events, Link too got up and set Tala's body near the still-burning bonfire, where she'd be warm. He then sat down beside her and stroked his fingers through her chocolate brown hair until Saria returned, a second fairy following her as she carried a huge, thick blanket – suitable for long winter nights.

Link smiled lightly as the crimson light inspected his cut.

"Fairly serious wounds this time, Link," the fairy chimed, "silver sword I believe?" Link merely nodded as the suction feeling increased on his shoulder until the pain had been practically sucked from his skin. "Take care," the red fairy said before it left going in no particular direction.

"Thanks," Link muttered to Saria as she left him the blanket and departed for bed.

"G'night" she called out to him.

Link wrapped the blanket around himself and Tala's soulless form. He sighed as he looked at her blank eyes that reflected the fire dancing beside them both. She wished she were here, body and soul, he was still perhaps frustrated at the way he had rejected him, he had actually been confident the – he would've sworn that she had tensed up and had become shy in their "archery session" because of his presence, but perhaps he was wrong…

He just hoped she wouldn't reject him again when he had her back safely…_IF _he ever had her back safely. He stoked her cold cheek…it was a pale colour, almost blue…she looked so dead…she wasn't even breathing…

Link ran a steady hand down her neck towards her chest where he could feel her heart beating…

_Thump, thump…thump, thump…_

Quite strange actually…how one looses breath when their soul is stolen but their heart continues to go on…

It was then that Link noticed he could do almost anything to the 'sleeping' Tala, although it was a somewhat naughty thought, it had rested in his mind. He had always wanted to touch her smooth curves, ever since he had seen them in the reflection of the puddle…but then again, he knew her better now, he respected her – that's the one thing that stopped him from spying on her as she got changed for the second time. That's what stopped him from thinking about it all together.

Link pressed his lips lightly to her cold ones, but no matter how cold they were they still seemed to give warmth to him, these lips he had wanted all night long, but to him it seemed like an eternity – too long. He pulled back and sighed, "I promise I'll do everything in my power to bring your soul back to where it belongs," he whispered an oath into her unhearing ear – not only had he made a promise to her, but himself.

He curled up beside her, finding her cool body was giving him more warmth then the thick blankets were – it seemed to take ages for him to get to sleep with all of the emotions buzzing around inside him, but he managed.

He'd just have to rescue her quickly…if Hyrule plunged into another catastrophe because of Ganon he didn't think he'd be able to cope.

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**Interesting? Bad? Good? Way too short? Lame? Whatever! Review :P**


	12. Hoofbeats

**Ok, another short chapter, but short chapters come quick, eh? Well, if I continue with chapters about as long as this I should be able to get a chapter a day in quite easily, with long chpaters on weekends. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it's really starting to build up! Once I get 100 reviews I shall draw up a title page for this story on deviant art (you think I can get that many reviews? I really hope so :D) And I suppose I can draw a scene from the story as well (the 100th reviewers choice :P) so get cracking! My account there is thekoolkyogre if anyone wants to take a peek.**

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Link awoke at the crack of dawn the next morning, long before any of the Kokiri's had awoken. He sighed as he rolled up the blanket and left it on a log, he then went to his tree house and emptied his bag, sorting out what he needed and what he wouldn't need and gathering new things from the drawers that leant up against the sides of the room.

Satisfied with the equipment he had, he picked some berries from a nearby tree to serve as a quick breakfast before he left. He'd need to take Tala with him, as he knew souls didn't last very long outside their bodies – the sooner her body and soul connected once more, the better. Anyways, perhaps she could help him defeat the evil king? "Nah" he though with a smile, "She's hopeless at archery, a sword would be too heavy for her…she has more chance of killing me then Ganon" he laughed forcefully, it calmed his nerves, he was feeling a bit more confident today…this was Ganon, the same Ganon he had defeated countless times, if anything it'd be easier then before since his opponent was older and himself – at his prime.

He gently lifted Tala's body and cradled her in his arms as he crossed the bridge, wondering if he should wait for Saria to say goodbye…but she was asleep and Link couldn't afford to loose time.

With great difficulty Link managed to hold onto Tala while he grabbed the orcarina from his side pocket. He played Epona's song and slipped the instrument back to it's original place before holding Tala more appropriately.

Minutes came, minutes passed, it took long enough, but the trio of horses, one young, one old and one in between finally came.

Tomus whinnied as he saw his friend, Link and Tomus were becoming closer, good friends. Epona and her filly cantered off together, knowing that they weren't needed. Link awkwardly managed to mount Tomus, sitting Tala on his lap, he wrapped his arms around her and held on to Tomus's mane, making sure she couldn't slip before he urged the black stallion forward.

Tomus raced off, not at full gallop, but a steady speed that caused the ride to be less bumpy, the horse could sense from the movements on his spine that his riders weren't particularly stable so he slowed slightly to prevent them from falling. The ride was smooth until a poe appeared, causing Tomus to rear up in fright and begin a canter the other way.

"Woo!" Link hushed the horse, trying to slow him down, but the horse wouldn't listen, it had completely forgotten about it's riders in the moment of fright. The picture of the evil, ghastly creature stood still in its mind Tomus had never seen such a scary being appear like that before.

Link held on tight as Tomus's hooves pounded against hard, dry dirt, causing a dust cloud to form behind them as they went, no matter how much Link tried to get the horse to stop it just wouldn't…

It was when Tomus came to a short fence line that he had tried to stop, he faced it head on, his movement slowing "Jump over it!" Link shouted at the horse, but it was too late, the horse's feet ripped hard against the wooden railing causing Link and Tala to come flying off over Tomus's head, Link clutched Tala closely to him as they both hit the ground beneath and rolled down a small hill.

Dizzy and perhaps slightly winded from the fall, Link got up and took Tala with him as he went to inspect his foolish horse.

Tomus had bad cuts along his shins, running deep into his skin, the black fur was now stained with blood, the fence wasn't broken, and neither was the horse, it could've been so much worse. Tomus collapsed into the dirt allowing Link to set Tala down so he could rummage around his bag, he pulled out some strange tree sap he had collected form the village before he left, it was meant to help the healing process and help prevent infection.

The horse neighed as Link applied the healing liquid on his cuts, the horse was shaken, but he knew it wasn't the fault of the rider, the horse told himself not to spook so much in the face of danger – perhaps be more like his master – his friend.

Soon enough, wounded, but not disheartened, they set off in search of Ganon…the sun blazing high in the sky and the sound of hoof beats echoing throughout the land.

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**Like? Not like? Want more? Review! -grins-**


	13. Moblins

**Ok, firstly I have many excuses for why this took so long...Band Camp...lack of inspiration, homework, assignments, parents banning me frmo the comp, holidays with relatives...you name it - I've been through it :P**

**Anyways, other then the fact that I'm sorry, I'd like to say that I've worked very hard on this chappie, and I'm hopeing it's one of my best, it's twice as long as some of my other chapters (which might be ANOTHER reason why it took so long) but as far as I'm concerned it was worth the wait...you might want to re-read the other chapter before you read this - just to recap :)**

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Almost the entire day passed by and there was still no sign of Ganon or his minions in Hyrule, Link figured that he must have made a kind of secret base somewhere nearby, it had been overcast since midday, a storm was approaching – and fast, it was a sign that danger was coming.

Both Link and Tomus were tired and exhausted, they hadn't eaten in ages – or so it seemed, as the sun began to set Link dismounted the horse to allow it to graze as he scanned the surrounding area for any sign of whom he was looking for. There was a cold breeze, light and chilly, it swept Link's dirty blonde hair across his eyebrows and into his eyes, he brushed it away, irritated, the scent of rain was in the air.

Link sighed as he Placed Tala in the grass beside Tomus, he then inspected the cramped bushes on the edge of the Hylian field, they were strange, bunched up in an unusual fashion, tall, leafy, but somewhat damaged, the usual green shade of the shrubs was dull and grey, the leaves were brittle - it was rather obvious Ganon was nearby…who else could cause vegetation to wilt like this?

With a bit of energy he managed to pry the compact plants apart to peer over towards the other side, cautiously and conscientiously he gazed but there was no sign of an enemy nearby. He bit his lip and squeezed through the overgrown shrubbery and examined his surroundings, the air was cool and crisp, a stench had met his nostrils, it smelt similar to some kind of swamp…either that or something rotting, or perhaps a mixture of the both.

Knowing the coast was clear, Link pushed past the greenery again and heaved Tala onto his shoulder, "Stay" he warned Tomus, if anything bad happened they'd need a swift ride homeward but it was far too dangerous for an animal as large as a horse to trespass into foreign land. Link then slipped back into the fortress of greeny-grey and left the black stallion standing obediently alone.

Link leapt skilfully from side to side in the dense overgrow area, the vines were easy to trip on, not as much so for Link, even carrying Tala he managed to keep fast on his feet, despite the slippery, mossy soil he didn't trip. He dashed past a mass of Deku Scrubs without them even noticing his presence, there was a light squelching sound of damp grass under his feet as he paced on the outskirts of the strange area.

Link noticed a group of moblins with long, sharp, spears. Of course he could defeat them with his light arrows rather easily, but even he couldn't use a bow and arrow with one hand, there was no way he'd drop Tala in such a dangerous place, he couldn't fight them so his only chance was to hide…

He ducked behind a massive tree, trying to be as quite as possible…just to stay still until the danger passed…after all, everything passes…there was a small snap of a twig being broken in half, it wasn't far off…the enemy was drawing nearer.

The moblin raised it's ugly snout and sniffed the air, with a grin it approached the tree, it's spear ready, it could sense someone on the other side, with a quick manoeuvre, it span around and hurled the spear towards the tree.

There was a small squeal, a trickle of blood…shish-kababed…it was all over. The moblin grunted…it had only been a small mouse-like creature, but the creature had suspected there was a creature much larger that had been near the tree…no matter, the moblin pressed on and rejoined its group.

Link breathed a small sigh of relief, he had clambered silently up onto a branch, Tala's loose hand had been dangling mere inches from the moblins head but the stupid animal never though to look up, Link waited until the moblins were well out of sight before h attempted to clamber down…

CRACK! The branch snapped with the combined weight of Link and Tala…if only he had kept still, Link landed firmly on his ankles, unable to roll over to lessen the impact because of Tala. He grunted slightly as a chill was sent straight up his ankles, luckily they weren't sprained or broken, but they did hurt like hell…

"Crap…" Link muttered hearing the thundering footsteps of moblins coming towards him, they must've heard him fall. Link sprinted across the jungle terrain, towards the large building-like figure ahead in a desperate attempt to loose his trackers. He felt the cool air sweeping hair into his face, every time he gasped for breath he felt the same bitter cold air rush into his lungs, stinging slightly as it came out. With every step he took he could feel his tread slip a little, but still he pressed on, his ankles ached as the combined body weight was forced upon them.

'A mort…looks like fun' Link thought sarcastically as he spotted a wide river between him and the dark structure before him, but the moblin tribe were catching up, they were dangerously close, if any of them had've been intelligent enough to throw their spear it would've been all over for him…both of them, no, all of Hyrule.

The moblins trampling on behind him extended their arms, and their spear, the sharp points were so close it was deadly, Link could feel the tips scraping against the behind of his calf before he pushed forward to the next step, they were digging, trying to pierce skin, but they only got so close, Link made a jump for it, into the river, carrying Tala constantly in his arms.

Link nearly yelped as he hit the ice cold water, he felt his body being almost instantly dragged away by the current, the moblins didn't dare follow and Link couldn't single-handedly swim the rest of the way – he was stuck in the middle…

He felt something hit him in the back as he struggled to keep both himself and Tala aloft, it was a branch, sticking out to the 'castle' side of the river, it was bending slightly with the strength of the current and Link's back pressed up hard against it, Link held onto the branch and tried to pull himself to shore. The branch was hollow, but firm – like bamboo, but Link could feel that it was about to snap, he moved very carefully to prevent an accident like before – not that it was something he could do quickly with one arm.

This was when the moblins took notice of what was happening downstream, they took advantage of it, trampling closer to Link they held their spears above their heads and threw them towards the water in an attempt to harpoon Link who almost instantly began to panic.

He moved faster across the branch until he heard it creak and groan, soon enough it was splitting near his fingertips, he quickly shifted to one side as half of the branch broke off, Link just barely clinging to the remainder.

With a 'woosh' a spear flew straight through Link's hat, pinning it to the muddy shore beside him…so close, but yet so far… Link whimpered slightly in fear as he continued along the branch, his body was turning numb, the cold was beginning to settle in, he could feel himself about to drift out of consciousness…

He jerked awake, trying to concentrate on the predicament, still fumbling along the smooth branch as a series of wooden spears flew close to his shoulder, some sweeping against his green, moist tunic. The bank was drawing closer! Yes! He was almost there! He moved just a tad closer to give him a chance to lunge at the mossy, muddy ledge when finally one of the moblins aimed true.

"Argh!" Link threw his head back and yelled as the spears sharp point pierced his back, causing him to let go of Tala. Hot, hot pain was what he had felt, searing…like melting barbed wire being driven into his body, he ripped it out and threw it into the water, letting the blood mingle with the dirty river water. He leapt from his safety-branch toward Tala's drifting body that was sinking from the surface. Taking a deep breath beforehand, Link dove down under the surface after her, only when he had a firm grip of her wrist did he rise again.

Link's fingernail grinded hard against the mud, trying to get a grip, when he did he levered himself up and collapsed on the grass, leaving Tala in a position to drain any fluid that was left in her lungs…

And that was only the "easy" part…

Link knew the worst was yet to come.

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**Good? Bad? You have the final say! REVIEW! -crosses fingers- (please tell me it was worth the wait... XD)**


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